BOROCHAT

Re: Lineup

By Tucks16/8 09:23Sun Aug 16 09:23:50 2026In response to Re: Lineup

Views: 535

Nail on the head I’d say. I also think there’s an element of wanting to keep Freestone in the team to keep him happy and as the player who looks like Pidge’s long term successor he’ll learn more on the pitch than off it. Especially playing alongside Pidge, albeit at full back.

That’s the human element. It plays a bigger part than many think. Of course we could have dropped half the squad from the Wycombe game but it would only have caused unrest. Unrest has further reaching consequences for our overall performances.

I think Revs is a very good people manager. In the way that good people managers operate in 2026, not sending people to Siberia if they don’t perform. He also wants to protect the culture at the club. That is so important. Perhaps if we’d retained a few other players who left in the summer then we’d have moved a Roberts on for example. Frustrating that he continues to pick him but I can see why he was kept in the building. It’s also why we went for TVC in the transfer market. He gets it here. Less of a bedding in process.

For me this may be a transitional season, phasing him (Roberts) out and Campbell in (once fit) for example. This is possibly what we’re seeing with Phoenix being a starter for our first two games also.

Individual moments and marches are important of course but the season has to be taken as a whole. No good alienating half the playing staff after two games when you have to have them on side for 50+ matches in all competitions.

(Sorry Owen, went off on a bit of a tangent there).

Edited by Tucks at 09:25:14 on 16th August 2026